Hmmm, mebbe is why I had a small stroke last week?...Constant Email, Text, Social Media Checks Lead to StressFebruary 23, 2017 - Nearly 90 percent of Americans say they “constantly or often” check their email, texts and social media accounts leading to increased stress, according to a report from the American Psychological Association (APA).

Those who said they checked constantly showed, on average, higher stress levels than those who checked less often. Using a 10-point scale, where one is “little or no stress” and 10 is “a great deal of stress,” constant checkers reported a 5.3 stress level compared to 4.4 for those who were less glued to their smartphones.

Working Americans who check their work email on days off reported a stress level of 6. “The emergence of mobile devices and social networks over the last decade has certainly changed the way Americans live and communicate on a daily basis,” said Lynn Bufka, PhD, APA’s associate executive director for practice research and policy. “Today, almost all American adults own at least one electronic device, with many being constantly connected to them. What these individuals don’t consider is that while technology helps us in many ways, being constantly connected can have a negative impact on both their physical and mental health.”

The study found parents realized the stressful effects of constant checking on their children, with 94 percent of parents saying they try to manage their child’s usage and 58 percent reporting feeling as if their child is “attached” to their device. Moreover, 45 percent of parents said technology is making them feel disconnected from their families, 58 percent reported being worried about “the influence of social media on their child’s physical and mental health.” Constant checkers are also more negatively impacted by social media, the study found, citing 42 percent of constant checkers said discussing politics on social media caused them stress. That was compared with 33 percent in the “non constant checking” category.

Perhaps one of the most telling findings was that 65 percent of Americans “somewhat or strongly agree” that unplugging at times or taking a “digital detox’ is important for mental health. Only 28 percent said they actually did take breaks from technology. “Taking a digital detox is one of the most helpful ways to manage stress related to technology use,” Bufka said. “Constant checkers could benefit from limiting their use of technology and presence on social media. Adults, and particularly parents, should strive to set a good example for children when it comes to a healthy relationship with technology.” The survey was conducted online between Aug. 5 and 31, 2016, among 3,511 adults 18 or older living in the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of the American Psychological Association.

Study: Cats Not Linked to Mental IllnessFebruary 22, 2017 - There is some good news for cat lovers. Turns out those reports that people who grew up with cats have a higher risk of mental illness are not true.

Writing in the journal Psychological Medicine, researchers from University College London say a common parasite associated with cats, Toxoplasma Gondii, which is associated with mental health issues, does not cause mental issues in people who grew up around cats. Lead author Dr. Francesca Solmi said, "The message for cat owners is clear: there is no evidence that cats pose a risk to children's mental health." She said, "Previous studies reporting links between cat ownership and psychosis simply failed to adequately control for other possible explanations."

Solmi said, "In our study, initial unadjusted analyses suggested a small link between cat ownership and psychotic symptoms at age 13, but this turned out to be due to other factors. Once we controlled for factors such as household overcrowding and socioeconomic status, the data showed that cats were not to blame." Researchers say their study of those who grew up around cats is “significantly more reliable” than studies that suggested a link between cat ownership and mental disorders because the subjects were monitored for nearly 20 years, rather than asking people with mental illness to remember details from their childhood, as was the case with studies suggesting a link.

Furthermore, they say those studies were relatively small with “gaps” in the data. "Our study suggests that cat ownership during pregnancy or in early childhood does not pose a direct risk for later psychotic symptoms," said senior author James Kirkbride. "However, there is good evidence that T. Gondii exposure during pregnancy can lead to serious birth defects and other health problems in children. As such, we recommend that pregnant women should continue to follow advice not to handle soiled cat litter in case it contains T. Gondii."

For this study, researchers investigated 5,000 people born in 1991 or 1992 who were part of an 18-year ongoing health study. Data from the study showed whether cats were in the house when the mother was pregnant or had cats while the children were growing up.

That was great. I like stories/ideas about offbeat stress-relief, and who doesn't these days? Do you realize how many people stare at computer/smartphone screens for hours and hours everyday? I have to admit I'm one of these modernism zombies.

I just thought about the unsaid S&M associated with overuse of computers, and how my friends and relatives seem obsessed with Facebook.

Here's a short-story I wrote about a psycho dentist obsessed with toothaches. The character is obviously inspired by Steve Martin's hilarious character from the horror-comedy film Little Shop of Horrors.

What do ya think?

====

Oscar was a happy dentist who studied dentistry and had his own practice in Virginia. He never married but was a content man, 30 years-old, with a profitable dentistry practice. One night, Oscar was watching the sado-masochistic iconic American horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street and something in him just snapped. He started thinking about the pure and eerie human guilty pleasure of seeing and imagining violence and eccentricity!

Oscar decided to go on a personal 'deranged crusade' at his dentistry office. Every now and then, he'd turn to his patients and give them a creepy smile and say, "You know, as a dentist, what fascinates me 'philosophically' is the strange and undeniable pleasure-pain principle of playing with your loose tooth!" His patients understood what he meant and what he was referring to --- how the nagging pain of a loose tooth (sometimes requiring dentistry-work) was for some inexplicable reason impossible to ignore or even play with (even though it was a harmless 'sado-masochistic' behavior).

Oscar decided to write a series of notes in his private diary regarding this odd stress-relieving behavior of playing with loose teeth. "Maybe it's the hustle and bustle of modern life that draws people these days (perhaps more than ever) to that eerily tempting pleasure-pain feeling of playing with one's loose tooth!" Oscar decided he should win the Nobel Prize of Insanity for his offbeat and very strange 'modernism discovery.' He never hurt his patients though so he continued to believe he was completely...sane.

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